The proposed research is to clarify the role of exploratory scanning activity in haptic form perception. Earlier research on this project has suggested that scanning functions to encode stimulus information and that what is learned and remembered about a shape is influenced by how it is explored. Additionally, haptic experience seems to account for greater proficiency in exploratory search. Finally, although exploratory search appears to account for a considerable portion of the variance associated with perceptual accuracy in judgments of form, its contribution seems to decrease as the task becomes more cognitive in nature. For example, it appears that in braille reading proficient and non-proficient readers can be distinguished on the basis of certain aspects of exploratory search but that search style has less to do with the retention of information read. This research raises a number of questions about the interface between perceptual and cognitive variables in tasks such as braille reading. This proposal calls for a series of three experiments to examine the role of specific exploratory movement patterns in the braille reading process. The focus is on braille reading since our previously developed procedure permits easy observation and differentiation of haptic scanning patterns providing a basis for rehabilitation of the visually handicapped reader. In each study blind braille readers are asked to read passages of varying reading difficulty level while their reading ability, comprehension, and scanning movements are recorded. Our aim in this series is to vary the task itself and the task requirements, and aspects of movement in order to test functional relationships among these variable. These experiments should clarify the functions of scanning in the braille reading process. In addition, specific suggestions for remediational techniques for rehabilitation of the blind are expected.